Cloughbawn edge home
THEY MAY have only scored twice from play after the break, but it was enough for Cloughbawn to edge Kilanerin’s second string by 0-13 to 1-9 in the opening round of the Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship Group B in Páirc Uí Shíocháin, Gorey, on Saturday.
Devoid of a sizeable number of players owing to soccer commitments, they showed commendable fighting spirit to battle back from trailing for virtually the entire game and nab the two points on offer just as the clock ticked into injury time.
They were helped along the way though by a lack of discipline in the tackle from Kilanerin, as Cloughbawn’s last five points all came from frees.
Colm Kehoe seemed to bear the brunt of the physical exchanges, but if anything it steeled him to drive his side over the line.
The north county men only had two different scorers, with the dangerous Emmet O’Toole accounting for their entire total of 1-3 after 20 minutes.
He popped over the opening score from a free he won on five minutes, and also applied the finishing touch to a goal from the next attack which began with a mark from Tom Mordaunt.
Connal Flood broke a couple of tackles to point for Cloughbawn, but he was soon black-carded as Kilanerin continued to hold sway.
O’Toole and Harry Kehoe exchanged points by the end of the first quarter before Cloughbawn had a goal scratched off on 18 minutes when Bob Whitty swiped to the net but Brendan Coleman had fouled in the build-up.
Andrew Murphy toe-poked a nice point to make it 1-4 to 0-3 on 23 minutes.
However, Whitty hit back from play, and kicked another when capitalising on some brief hesitancy from Eoin Lucey as the difference stood at 1-4 to 0-5 at half-time.
Two more O’Toole points sandwiched Murphy’s second as Kilanerin led by 1-7 to 0-8 after 43 minutes, while Colm Kehoe was impeded illegally for Whitty to convert a free six minutes later.
And although Murphy conjured up a brilliant point in limited space on 50 minutes, Kyle Murphy drew a free which Whitty converted.
Whitty missed one from a kickable range before registering his third straight placed-ball to level proceedings at 0-11 to 1-8.
O’Toole (free) edged Kilanerin back in front, only for Kehoe to land a beauty from his hands from 45 metres out, while Whitty sealed the deal with his fifth free after some shaky use of the ball from Kilanerin.
Cloughbawn: Paul Foley; Daniel Dempsey, David Doyle-Murphy, Aaron Byrne; James Dempsey (0-1), Gavin Murphy, Stephen Casserly; Connal Flood (0-1), Colm Kehoe (0-2, 1 free); Harry Kehoe (0-2), Bob Whitty (0-7, f5 frees), Kyle Murphy; Gary Kehoe, Brendan Coleman, Callen Morrissey. Sub. - Cathal Doran for Flood, black card (16).
Kilanerin: Eoin Lucey; Cathal O’Reilly, Lorcan Clare, Colm Noctor; Patrick Carton, Stephen Hughes, Paul Carton; Tom Mordaunt, Niall Gethings; Patsy Fortune, Tommy Boland, Gearóid Ó Súilleabháín; Andrew Murphy (0-3), Emmet O’Toole (1-6, 0-2 frees), Lee Owley. Sub. - Pat O’Connor for Gethings (53).
Referee: Paddy Brady (Réalt na Mara).